Speaking Up
by CorieFanGrrl
Summary: A oneshot for all the fangirls who wanted an extended version of the game in which they had the option of chasing after N and living with him for all eternity. xD Not a fangirl? Read anyway, please! I promise that it's good! R&R!


**A/N: Like the description said- this is dedicated to those fangirls who wanted an extended version of the game in which they could chase after N and spend eternity with him. And even if you're not a fangirl, I hope you'll enjoy anyway. This is my portrayal of Touko's feelings for N and how she felt about not being able to say anything. I left out any pokemon names other than Zekrom and Reshiram to keep the story accessible to all of us gamers. If you played Black, just flip the "Zekrom"s and "Reshiram"s, okay? R&R, please! I'd love some opinions!**

Speaking Up

It had been three weeks since that fateful battle that changed everything. A battle not only between pokemon, but also a battle of will between two trainers. It was a battle of strength and determination. A battle of what both of the trainers had learned on their long, challenging journeys. A battle of beliefs. That was what Touko thought of as she rode on the back of the legendary Zekrom, feeling the wind rush past her face as if it were on its own journey.

Touko sighed as she remembered her and N's battle in vivid detail. Each of her pokemon had fought their absolute hardest and she couldn't have asked for anything more. She inflicted faint after faint upon N's pokemon and felt enormous guilt watching the horrified look on his face as she did it. But she had no choice. Touko loved her pokemon like family and she knew in her heart that releasing them was wrong. Still, the hopeless look on N's face as he pulled out his last pokeball wouldn't leave Touko's mind. She recalled their first meeting, way back at the beginning of her journey in Accumula Town.

"Your pokemon… just now it was saying…"

Cheren and Touko had thought the boy to be crazy from the very beginning. He had strode up to them through a crowd of people who had assembled to listen to Team Plasma speak of pokemon liberation. N seemed to be very sold on the idea and questioned Touko as to whether she believed it also. At the time, she thought he was just a lover of pokemon, torn by the words said by the strange man Ghetsis. The boy was strange, but Touko had to admit that Ghetsis of Team Plasma had shaken her beliefs as well. Were her pokemon happy? She'd never keep them with her if she suspected that they weren't. Her suspicions came to a halt when N challenged her to a short battle and commented on how her pokemon spoke so highly of her.

The kid has got to be crazy, she thought to herself, There's no way he can actually hear pokemon.

He disappeared after that, muttering to himself about how it was his duty to fight for his friends. Touko thought nothing of their encounter, and continued her journey. Even if it was wrong for some people to have pokemon, N had said hers loved her. So why stop her journey?

She saw him again in Nacrene City. Another brief encounter with limited words. It was then that Touko began to care for N. He was so odd, but his love for pokemon was moving. Touko started to wonder when she would see him again.

It wasn't too long before she did. Her pokemon had gotten stronger and her happiness was growing. Traveling and battling. It was a simple life she was living, but she loved it all the same. She knew this as she entered Nimbasa City and ran into Team plasma, hustling an old man. She had grown to really hate Team Plasma. She could understand their perspective but the means they were going to… stealing pokemon from their trainers… it was something Touko felt could never be justified. Team Plasma sprinted into the amusement park with Touko chasing after. She wouldn't let them get away this time.

But there was N. He said for Touko to follow him which she did without question. Into the amusement park and onto the Ferris Wheel. Touko blushed at the time, feeling like it was sort of a date. It was sweet of him to take her up here. But then he told her something that would change her feelings forever. He was the KING of Team Plasma. He was the leader of those thugs that stole other people's pokemon. Touko felt her heart drop into her stomach. Did N bring her up here to hurt her? Or worse, would he take her pokemon, who were truly the only family she had on this journey other than Cheren and Bianca?

N merely spoke of his goals. His feelings about the treatment of pokemon. How much he wanted to learn about them and how much they deserved. He asked if Touko could understand his thinking. Touko felt her throat catch and gave the simple answer, "Yes." She couldn't say anything more- she just wasn't strong enough yet to explain herself. N seemed to accept her answer, though and said he was happy to hear her say that. When the two trainers got off of the Ferris wheel, N challenged Touko to a battle to allow the Plasma members from earlier escape. Touko said nothing, battled until she won again, and listened silently as N challenged her to a battle of even grander scale after they both defeated the pokemon league.

Touko felt so torn. N was so determined, so motivated. So was she, but she had to wonder. Did he feel anything for her at all? Maybe not, if he wanted to defeat her so badly.

Touko ignored her feelings and continued to train, now knowing that one day she would enter a battle that would determine the fate of all of Unova. Not too much pressure at all, right?

Cheren and Bianca helped her keep a cool head. They were constant reminders, just in being themselves, that even though people have different goals they are connected through their love of pokemon. Cheren kept her on her toes, and made her ever-determined to become stronger. Bianca simply helped her remember who she was. A girl who loved to laugh and enjoy life with her pokemon.

It wasn't until Chargestone Cave that Touko confronted N again. After some guidance from the Shadow Triad wandering the giant cave for hours, she found N. They battled and he lost, taking this loss harder than the last few. He couldn't understand how his motivations were so strong but he would lose time after time again to Touko. He then asked her a question.

"Do you have a dream, Touko?"

Once again, Touko could only manage to force out a simple answer that she wasn't brave enough to elaborate on, "Yes."

But N didn't seem to mind. Maybe he didn't really care what she had to say. Maybe he was just testing her to see if she was a worthy opponent. If that were true, it really pissed off Touko. However, she didn't ask and remained silent. She listened to him, still silent, as he chewed out Professor Juniper and stormed off.

I'm too afraid to speak up, she thought to herself, Why can't I say anything to him?

N pulled out his last pokemon. His last hope for his dreams. Touko felt her heart ache as she caused the pokemon to faint, leaving N speechless for once. She couldn't enjoy her victory. She couldn't smile when N stood ten feet away, looking shattered to the core. They legendary Reshiram and Zekrom had chosen the two of them and the two of them did their best not to fail the powerful pokemon. Touko believed with all of her heart that even though he lost, N still deserved to be chosen and wasn't entirely wrong in his beliefs. Just misguided.

Ghetsis entered, enraged by N's loss and announced his plans to take over the Unova region for himself. Judging by the look on N's face, this was a huge blow. The ultimate betrayal. He had been a pawn from the start and used to the fullest. He was a broken man.

Touko battled Ghetsis, who was admittedly quite strong. But she battled her hardest, this time not only for her beliefs but for N as well. N, who had taught her so much about herself and pokemon. The boy was probably the weirdest kid she had ever met in her life. The boy who pissed her off, made her blush, and downright confused her. Someone she believed in and wanted to be her friend. Someone she…

Ghetsis lost and ranted out his rage. Alder and Cheren carted him away but not before he called N a freak without a human heart. Touko want to hit him but she stayed where she was, silent and watching N. Alder told N he still had a choice left but N seemed lost for words other than muttering about how we just weren't the same. Touko wanted to reach out to him. She wanted to tell him that she believed in him and that she…

N walked with Touko across the now-destroyed palace hall and explained how he felt on his journey. How she had flipped his world upside down with her skill and love for her pokemon. Touko was hoping he'd talk about something else but before she knew it, he hopped on the back of Reshiram and was gone. He had left her there, confused and with so much left unsaid.

So here was Touko now. She had told Cheren, Bianca, and her mother that she had one last piece of her journey to finish and that she'd return as soon as possible. She had been flying around on the back of Zekrom, who was tracking down Reshiram. She could only hope that N hadn't yet released Rehsiram and that they hadn't been wasting their time.

Zekrom let out a quiet roar to alert Touko. Touko looked around and saw that they were approaching a mountain. She couldn't be sure of what mountain it was, as they had long left Unova and she had lost track of what region they were in. Zekrom flew down to a ledge on the mountain and Touko was stunned to see that they had found him. N had his back turned to them and was stroking Reshiram's neck, lost in a trance inside Reshiram's thoughts. Reshiram roared at Zekrom, not menacingly but as if to offer greeting. N turned and his eyes widened.

"Touko?"

Touko leaped off of Zekrom's back and walked up to N.

"I'm tired of staying silent. N, I love you."

Touko pulled N to her and kissed him for all she was worth. He had shared his feelings with her all throughout their journey. It was time to finally show him hers.


End file.
